Red Caboose Motel Strasburg, Pennsylvania

The Red Caboose Motel is appropriately located near the famed Strasburg railroad, and is home to a number of retired railroad cabooses. In 1969, Donald Denlinger a museum president, attended an auction with a friend in nearby Mill bridge. On a whim he threw in a lowball bid on some railroad cabooses. Well, needless to say he ended up the proud owner of 19 N-5 cabooses, each weighing in at 475 tons.  As winter approached he needed to move these behemoths. Not wanting to spend the additional dollars that would be needed to move these mammoth machines, he got the brilliant idea to transform them into motels. An idea so crazy it may work.

Through tireless efforts and an immeasureable amount of work, he made all of the cabooses livable. After wiring electric and adding other amenities such as potbellied stoves and bunk beds, his project was finally completed.

While he was the owner, Mr. Denlinger was known to wear a conductor's outfit while he greeted and assisted guests. He also did extensive research on each caboose and placed historical information on each caboose to enlighten visitors even more.

Today the Red Caboose is under new management but still carries the same flair, all of which is topped off by the victorian decorated dining caboose that still serves three meals a day.

Bigfoot in Pennsylvania

The most beloved cryptid creature in America seems to make his impression felt everywhere including Pennsylvania. The Sasquatch is quite frequently spotted in the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest, but there have been sightings of this mysterious creature in nearly every state.

Sasquatch or Bigfoot is usually described as a large ape-like creature who walks upright. Bigfoot has been deemed to range around 6' - 10' in height and weighing in at over 500 pounds. They are known to permeate a horrific stench, and are legendary for their monstrous footprints.

As early as 1879 there have been descriptions given of a hairy wild man roaming the woods throughout Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society has varied reports of sightings throughout every county in the state. A majority of the sightings appear in the central and northern parts of the heavily wooded commonwealth. But alarmingly a strange disproportion also occur within the suburbs of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Several witnesses have felt or spotted a strange ape-like man luring at them while hunting. Others have reported hearing odd inarticulate screams uttering from the woods. Seems if you're going to go out hunting for Bigfoot Pennsylvania may be a good place to start, just be sure you keep all your senses magnified.
Photo of Bigfoot sighting in Pennsylvania.

Raystown Ray

One of Pennsylvania's most famous cryptid creatures prefers to make his home in one of Pennsylvania's top tourist spots. Lake Raystown is home to muskies, catfish, and a giant prehistoric monster known as Raystown Ray.

Ray is thought to be very similar to the Loch Ness monster and is said to be a similar species of creature. While there have been numerous sightings of the monster in Loch Ness, Ray doesn't seem as bold. Multiple underwater divers in the lake have reported witnessing immeasurably massive creatures dwelling deep in the waters. Ray wasn't officially spotted though until April 2006 when a local man captured the above photograph. Since that time numerous stories and sightings of Ray have spread. Many doubt the validity of these stories and believe they are mainly used to attract tourists to the region. It's quite easy to dismiss these tales given the fact Lake Raystown is one of the largest man-made lakes in the country. What are your thoughts?

"The Town that Was" Centralia, Pennsylvania

"The Town that Was" is an intriguing and thought provoking documentary on the small mining community of Centralia, Pennsylvania. A town that has lived and died with the coal industry. Centralia was once a bustling borough that thrived on the anthracite coal buried deep beneath the surface, but on the surface was a town of dedicated, hard working individuals. This film mainly pays it focus on them, instead of the fire that burns deep beneath the surface of this near ghost town.

Centralia was once a standard mining community. Row homes with well manicured lawns dotted the streets, while local churches and taverns served as meeting places, and homes away from home. But since a warm Summer day in 1962 the times have been a changing. A controlled trash burn on Labor Day weekend, escaped into an underground mine and ignited the slow burning coal. Since then the fires been spreading and the residents have been fleeing, but not all.

The documentary shares stories of past and present, from current and former residents. As well as their concerns and grievances about the town and the controversy that surrounds it. The picture mainly pays attention to Centralia's youngest resident, John Lokitis. The film follows him through his daily routines of helping to maintain the small town charm that still remains there. The passion he shows for his hometown shines through immensely. Being one of less than a dozen remaining citizens, John thrives to keep the "Town that Was", a town that's never forgotten.
Watch "The Town that Was" free on Hulu

Legend of Toad Road and the 7 gates of Hell

Located in Hellam Township, in the middle of York county, lies a mysterious road. Trout Run road is often referred to by it's more sinister name, Toad road.

According to local legend, there was once an insane asylum located deep in the woods off this road. During the 1800's, there was a large fire in the institution. Due to the Toad road asylum's location in the woods, the firefighters were unable to get back to the hospital to assist in extinguishing the blaze. What ensued was total chaos, something right out of a horror film. Hundreds of criminally insane individuals ran rampant through the dark, dense, woods. The State police were eventually called in to handle the situation. According to local legends the police combed the woods and beat into submission all the patients they were able to track down. It's been thought that for many years there were still survivors in the woods just waiting for a trespasser to find his old burned out home.
Traveling down the road it seems like your average rural thruway. Lively trees dot the pavement, country homes pass by, and farmlands sprinkle the pathways. But just as your immersing up the country beauty, something strange occurs on this seemingly pleasant way. The road becomes unpaved, and quite rocky, a feeling occurs like you should no longer be here. As you pass around a sharp bend, you notice a red gate and an abundance of "No Trespassing" signs. Welcome to the first gate of hell!

The City of York supposedly put these up to discourage folks from trespassing back the paths. Local legend states that there are six more of these gates located in the woods, if you find the seventh gate you'll be on the site of the burned out institution-or you'll be in Hell itself!

The City of York of course denies all these stories, and unfortunately there's not much hard evidence to support the folklore. Many people claim the city did all they could to cover up these heinous activities. Could you blame them?

For the full effect of this trip we would recommend a nighttime visit, when our imaginations seem to run a little bit higher. If you put the windows down, maybe you can still hear the screams and cries of a lost psychopath roaming the woods, still waiting for that unsuspecting visitor!


WARNING!! Entering the woods on Trout Run road without permission will attract an unwanted visitor and they will have no problems issuing a citation for trespassing!

Roadside America Shartlesville, Pennsylvania

Roadside America is one child's fascination taken to an extreme.

The airplane hangar-size building is filled with numerous trains, buildings, houses and miniature villages. Most of these piece have been hand carved from wood.

Walking inside Roadside America is quite astonishing: there's not really words to describe the feeling you get upon entering. It leaves you speechless.

The place definitely has a homey feeling and makes you feel like you're in the simpler times of Ozzie and Harriet.

For more information and more quirky "outta the way" places, be sure to check out the Outta the Way zine! (Vol. 4 is available today! Contact us to reserve a copy.)